Ren: No time for introductions. Start the show!
Ryuji: Wooo! Something great must be happening. Start the show!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Five
[Opening Scene – Café LeBlanc (Afternoon)
Theme of Café LeBlanc - Beneath the Mask From Persona 5]
"W-Whoa…" Ren stammered out with a slight blush as he stared at the woman sipping tea at the shop's counter.
The woman had dark blue hair in a messy bob-cut with blunt bangs and brown eyes. She has red nail polish on her fingernails and toenails and a black studded necklace choker that connects to multiple necklaces.
She was wearing a short black jacket, a blue dress with a white spider-web design, and black ripped leggings, a red grommet belt, and strappy black platform high heels.
"Well, I better get back to it. Thanks for the tea Sojiro-san," The woman said with a bored expression on her face. She slid her stool back and walked towards the door where Ren stood and gave a slight grin.
"You're drooling," she said.
Ren looked at her and stammered out, "A-Ah. Sorry."
"Don't sweat it, kid," she replied before she eyed him closely. "Hm…Judging from your injures, you must have gotten into a fight with some tough individuals," She stated as she moved his face from left to right to observe him.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Ren asked, his face still heated.
"She's a doctor," Sojiro said as he washed a few dishes. "She's just up the road. Pretty good at it, too, despite the nickname she has."
"Although…Don't injury yourself just to see me, I will kick you out," She said but Ren couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
"These will heal up in a few days, provided you don't get into another fight," She concluded. "If they start to feel puffy, sore, or start to look infected, come by my office," She said. "I can't do much, but at least I can get you well enough."
Ren nodded.
"Good. I'm Takemi Tae. Remember, come when injured. Anything else, and I'll boot you out of my office," Tae said before she walked out of the shop, leaving Ren with Sorijo.
"Well, at least she says they will heal," Sojiro said. "What were you thinking, kid? Missing half a day? Fighting? The only good thing that came out of this was helping those two students!"
Ren sighed at Sojiro's shout and replied wearily, "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I couldn't let them get hurt. Now when I could stop it. Kawakami-sensei gave me the third degree. I will not let it happen again."
Sojiro nodded and replied, "Good. I don't mean to yell, but you have a lot at risk."
"I know," Ren replied.
"With that aside, your teacher also called her just a bit ago before you got in. She says for you to meet her first thing in the morning. She wants to introduce you to the student council president at the school. Seeing as you were the student council president at your old school, I think it would be a good idea."
Ren could hear the sound of a motorcycle and the yell of, "Charge, Johanna!" within his mind.
Weird.
With that strange thought aside, that truthfully did sound like a good idea.
"I also put in a good word for you for the Volleyball team," Sojiro said, which caused Ren's blood to run cold.
"Since their track team was disbanded, I suggested it would be good for you to join the Volleyball team as a former captain. With that Kamoshida guy there, you're bound to go to a good school if you follow his lead," Sojiro continued.
"You didn't have to do that, Sojiro-san," Ren said kindly, but inwardly he was panicked.
But then he calmed down suddenly.
Joining the Volleyball team would be the perfect opportunity for Ren to get familiar with those in there and see what Kamoshida does for them.
"But thank you for doing that for me, Sojiro-san. I won't let you down," Ren said with a genuine, if not devious, smile on his face.
[Scene Change – The Velvet Room
Theme of the Velvet Room– Velvet Room from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]
"Welcome back to my Velvet Room, Trickster," Igor said with an amused grin.
Ren walked up to the front of his cell and said, "Good to be back? Anyways, what's going on, long nose?"
"The sheer audacity of you inmate!" Caroline exclaimed, but Ren waved her off with a disarming grin.
"Now, now, short stuff. Adults are talking," Ren retorted and took a step back as Caroline slammed her baton against the cell bars, causing electricity to streak across them.
"Now, prisoner, what do you have to gain from angering my sister?" Justine questioned.
"I like teasing her," Ren replied with a grin. "She's so uptight. She needs to learn to loosen up, or else, she'll regret it."
"You'll regret teasing me, inmate!" Caroline exclaimed.
"Sure I will, kiddo," Ren replied with a grin, ignoring the second blow to his cell's bars.
Once the electricity died out, Ren leaned against the cell and said to Justine, "This place is so damned sad. I will say this; the opera-like singing is magnificent but mournful. How do you guys live with this?"
"You get used to it," Justine responded with a bored expression.
"Hopefully, I won't have to," Ren replied. "Now back to you, Igor. You said something about rehabilitation last time we spoke. I need some sort of explanation on that."
Igor connected his fingers and said, "Ah that. So first thing, I see you've awakened to an extraordinary power during your stay with the lustful king. Good, now we can start on correcting your life with rehabilitation."
"So awakening Arsène is a start to this process?" Ren asked. "What is Arsène anyways?"
"He is your Persona," Igor replied. "Personas are the armor of your heart that you use to face the outside world—a mask if you will. Everyone has a dormant persona within them waiting to awaken, but you, you are special that you can have multiple Personas within you."
"Neat," Ren said with a grin. "So what's the angle here? You give me this power, and I do what with it?"
"All in due time," Igor replied. "But I have high hopes for you and the process of rehabilitation."
"Also neat," Ren replied.
"By the way, do you like the other world navigation?" Igor asked.
"You mean that weird eye app thing?" Ren asked.
"Yes, the weird eye thing," Justine replied. "It is a Navigation device that you can use to go between the palace and the real world. It is something that will help you be a better thief."
"Again, very neat, but am I the only one who has this ability to go from Palace to the real world? That would be really troublesome if so," Ren stated.
"I know that using the otherworld navigation by yourself will be quite lonely. If there's someone that wants to help, you can give them the other world navigation," Igor replied.
"Do I get a choice in who uses it, and if so, how do I give it to them?" Ren asked.
"Once they go into the palace realm, they have the app as well but be warned, if they are not Persona users, there is a certain risk to letting them have it," Igor warned.
"It's time for you to go, inmate," Caroline said with a frown.
"Is it?" Ren asked. "I guess I do feel a little lighter than before. Well, I'll see you guys later!"
"Enjoy your rest," Justine said.
[Scene Change –Shujin Academy (Daytime)
Theme of Shujin Academy: Want to be Close from Persona 3]
"Ah, you're here, Amamiya-san. Very prompt," Kawakami told Ren once he stood in front of her.
Both Sojiro and Kawakami forgot to tell Ren where he was supposed to meet his homeroom teacher, so he took a chance and went to the faculty room where she was thankfully waiting for him.
"Thanks," Ren replied with a polite smile. "So, I was told you wanted me to meet the student council president of this school, is that correct?"
"That is correct," Kawakami said as she pushed herself off the wall and began to walk, prompting Ren to follow her.
"So in your profile, it showed that you were the student council president of your school as well, is that correct?" Kawakami asked.
"Of course," Ren confirmed. "Beneath this handsome exterior of mine holds the brain of a hard-working genius."
Kawakami snorted, but Ren could see the hint of a grin on her lips.
"I've been curious about something," Kawakami said after a few minutes of silence between them. "You said you saw me before when we first met, right?"
"Yeah," Ren replied.
"Something has been nagging at me. Your caretaker said you might have seen me around the city, but I don't live in the city, so how have you seen me before?" Kawakami questioned.
"Well, I…" Ren began before his mind flashed to a surprising sight.
There was a brief image of him standing in front of a maid.
The maid had pigtails, and she looked rather beautiful, but there was something very familiar about her…
"Amamiya-san?" Kawakami said as she waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of the vision.
"Do you work as a maid?" Ren asked immediately but in a hushed tone.
Kawakami's face took on a look of horror that Ren only saw once in his life, and that was of his first girlfriend during a particular brutal scare in some horror movie from the past.
"W-What did you ask?" Kawakami asked him with a stammer.
"Nothing," Ren said swiftly; not wanting to go down the road he idiotically set himself down.
Why could he not keep his big-mouth shut?!
"N-No, that's not nothing," Kawakami stuttered out.
"Let's just continue to walk," Ren said, his eyes staring straight ahead, so he didn't look at the terrified teacher beside him.
"Y-Yes. Let's," was Kawakami's shaky reply.
The two walked in silence before they came across the student council door. Kawakami cleared her throat and gave the door a quick knock, and after a moment, it opened to reveal a girl.
The girl had brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs and a French-braid styled headband that matches her hair color.
She wore the standard Shujin academy uniform, except she didn't wear the blazer. Instead, she wore a black halter vest over a long-sleeve white shirt with a turtleneck, which looked different from the normal turtlenecks he had seen the other females wear.
But it was her eyes that caught his attention.
They were red.
It honestly took him by surprise by how red they were.
"I don't even know what you are now, but you're not the Ren I fell in love with…Goodbye…"
"So no matter what happens in the future, no matter how bad it gets, stand tall and don't give up! And when you ever find yourself lost and not knowing where to go, never forget that I will always be there by your side."
Ren let out a subtle sigh.
Between her and his traitorous ex-girlfriend, red eyes were either a blessing or a curse in his life. Hopefully, Makoto would be the former and not the latter.
'Between Shiho, Ann, that flower girl, Tae, Kawakami-sensei, and now Makoto, everyone in this damn city is super attractive!' Ren thought. 'Like…For real!'
"Ah, hello, Amamiya-san. I am Niijma Makoto. The Student Council president of Shujin Academy," Makoto said as she held out her right hand to him.
"Amamiya Ren. It is a pleasure to meet a fellow president," Ren said as he shook her hand with a grin, ignoring the yell of 'Fist of Justice!' within his head.
"Kawakami-sensei spoke to me about joining the Student Council. Given your previous achievements as a president, I accept you as a member. We have meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday. I have told Kawakami-sensei that you are to sit in on our meeting today just so you know how things work at Shujin," Makoto explained.
"Join the Student council?" Ren asked, surprised. Sojiro nor Kawakami mentioned that. I thought they just wanted him to meet the president. "Well, sure. I'll be happy to sit in and learn the ropes about how Shujin does it here," Ren added with a smile.
"Good," Makoto replied with a smile. "Come with me, and we'll fill out the paperwork for it," Makoto told him before she looked to Kawakami and said, "I will bring him to class once we are finished."
"Good!" Kawakami said with a brief shout, startling both Ren and Makoto from the suddenness of it. "I'll be in class. Behave yourself, Amamiya-san," she told him before she walked away, leaving the two teens alone.
"Follow me," Makoto ordered as she walked into the room.
Ren walked into the council room and was hit immediately by a headache.
The room wavered briefly around him, and he found himself in the safe room of Kamoshida's castle shortly before the room wavered again, and Makoto was in front of him with a concerned expression on her face.
"Are you alright?" Makoto questioned.
"I-I'm fine…" Ren replied. "Just got a bit shaken up."
"I understand," Makoto said. "With all the rumors you have swirling around you, you have every right to be shaken up."
"Thanks, at least someone understands," Ren said as he sat down in a chair.
"For the record, I know of the rumors, and I decided not to believe them. As my favorite song says, 'But men, they say a lot of foolish things. And in the end, the only words I can find to believe in are mine.' What you say and what you do will determine to me what the truth is and what is a deception," Makoto told him as she placed a book before him.
"That's…Actually fair. So you'll judge me on my words and actions alone," Ren summarized.
"That sounds right," Makoto replied.
"Ya know Niijima-san? I think we're going to get along great," Ren said with a grin.
After an hour and a half of filling out paperwork, Ren and Makoto sat in their chairs and leaned against them with a groan.
"I can't believe that took so long to finish," Makoto said as she rubbed her wrist. "I'm afraid of getting carpal tunnel after filling all of that out."
"Tell me about it. I forgot how many papers we had to sign in the student council," Ren said as he rubbed his wrist.
The two stood up from their chairs and headed for the door, but that's when they heard Kamoshida's voice on the other side of it.
(Theme of Kamoshida: Troubled from Persona 3)
Ren immediately pulled Makoto away from the door, much to her surprise. "What the!" Makoto exclaimed when he dragged her back.
"Hold on," Ren whispered to her.
"Hold on for what?" Makoto whispered back.
Ren shook his head and crept to the window and peeked out of the curtains to see Ann's back and Kamoshida's smug face. Moments later, Makoto's face appeared beneath his, both of them watching.
"So Takamaki-chan, you've been avoiding me lately," Kamoshida's voice rang out.
"I'm sorry, Kamoshida-san," Ann's defeated voice replied. "I've been busy with modeling and recently went to the doctors about a few things. I'm sorry I made you worry."
"It's no problem, Takamaki-chan. You are my favorite student after all," Kamoshida said with a laugh.
Ren narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Anyways, I came here to warn you. I've heard some unsavory rumors about the student that helped you and Sakamoto," Kamoshida said. "I want you to stay away from him. He's going to be nothing but trouble, and I don't want my favorite student to be dragged down by him or that meddlesome Sakamoto."
'Of course, he tries to pull this shit,' Ren thought, sneering at the possessive tone Kamoshida possessed when he spoke to Ann.
"He saved my life. Ren and Ryuji both," Ann replied. "I'm not going to let some rumors get in the way of a good guy. Thanks for worrying about me, but I'll be okay."
Ren didn't hear Kamoshida say anything for a moment and peaked from around the corner and saw him handing her a note. He watched as Ann looked down at the letter, and then he saw tears begin to form in her eyes.
The pair saw a victorious smirk on Kamoshida's face before he turned around and walked away.
'That's not a good sign,' Ren thought before he stepped back and said to Makoto, "I'm sorry about that."
"It's fine," Makoto replied with a frown before she asked, "But what was that about?"
"I don't know why but I feel like Kamoshida has it out for me, and it may be because of Ann," Ren said.
"But you've only been here a day," Makoto said.
"I know, but did you hear what he said about me?" Ren asked. "I know I have these rumors going about, but for a teacher to outright tell them to stay away from me sucks. Not to mention how possessive he sounded."
"I noticed that as well," Makoto replied.
"And whatever he gave her made Ann run away in near tears," Ren finished. "All of that because of me, someone who, as she said, saved her life."
"Yeah…So what do you propose we do? Investigate this?" Makoto questioned.
"We are student councilmen," Ren replied. "And from one president speaking to another, it would be pathetic of us if we didn't."
"You think so?" Makoto asked.
"Of course. I came from Gorin Academy. At Gorin, the student council was looked up to by all the students that resided there. We swore an oath to help all of those in need, which is my personal creed as well. Any of my peers that went back on that creed was instantly expelled. No one was exempt. Not even me."
Ren shut his eyes and added, "I've been here a single day and noticed a lot of issues in this place. How sad the students are to how everyone treats Kamoshida as a king. We would be fools to ignore it."
"There is some truth to your words, but I am still unsure. I will think about what you said, and if I come to the same conclusion as you, I will help you," Makoto said. "In the meantime, let's get to cla-"
Without warning, there was a knock on the door, startling the pair. Ren and Makoto exchanged a glance before Ren opened the door and Kamoshida with a giant grin on his face, but Ren could see the malice behind that grin.
"Ah, just the person I wanted to see," Kamoshida said to Ren. He then looked to Makoto and said, "And there is the beautiful Student Council president."
"Hello, Kamoshida-sensei," Makoto said, her voice sounding put off.
"Well, anyway, I received a call from Kawakami about what your caretaker said about you being interested in the Volleyball team."
"Interested being a strong word," Ren said. "Continue."
Kamoshida seemed taken aback by Ren's dry words, but that boisterous grin appeared once again as he said, "Lucky for you, a spot just opened up on my team, and I decided to invite you onto my illustrious team."
"I accept," Ren said with a polite smile.
Kamoshida's grin seemed to deepen at this. "Good…We're having a meet in tomorrow. You can play in the game then."
Ren nodded, and Kamoshida left the room, leaving Ren and Makoto alone in the room.
"You accepted his invitation," Makoto noted.
Ren merely smirked. "I know."
[Scene Change – Shibuya (Afternoon)
Theme of Meeting - My Homie from Persona 5]
"What?!" Ann exclaimed as she stood in front of Ren in the alleyway in front of the school.
"Yeah, my caretaker decided to put in a good word for me to join the volleyball team, and Kamoshida invited me. I accepted it," Ren said.
"It sounds like a hella bad idea," Ann said with a cross of her arms.
"I'll save the regret until tomorrow…Speaking of which, what happened in the hallway with Kamoshida?" Ren asked her.
"It's nothing," Ann hastily replied. "Just something I have to worry about."
Ren frowned and opened his mouth before he shut it. He knew there was something wrong with Ann, but what could it be?
"Yo guys!" Ryuji's voice shouted from behind them. Ann and Ren turned around and waved at Ryuji, who hunched over and panted heavily. "Whew, I must be getting fat. I used to run faster than that in Track."
"Oh? You were on the track team?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, was one of the best," Ryuji replied. "But enough about that. What's up, guys?"
"Nothing much," Ann replied. "Talking about how Ren's caretaker is signing him up to Kamoshida's Volleyball team."
"Oh shit, that's bad," Ryuji said.
"That's what I said," Ann replied. "But he thinks it's a good idea."
"Seriously? What makes you think that?" Ryuji asked.
"Well, I was admittedly worried at first, but this may be the opportunity we need to observe what he does to them," Ren said before he paused. "Hey, do you two have this app on your phones?" Ren asked as he held up his phone to the pair.
Ryuji and Ann pulled out their phones and blinked in shock when they saw the same strange app on their phones that Ren had.
"Yeah…How did that get here?" Ryuji asked.
"This app allows us to go from our world to that other one," Ren explained. "The guy with the long nose made it for me and my allies."
"Guy with a long…" Ryuji murmured before he shook his head. "Forget it. But this will allow us to go back to that place?"
"Yeah," Ren replied.
"That's awesome!" Ryuji exclaimed. "This will be the perfect chance to see if any more of our schoolmates are in his castle."
Ann nodded and looked to Ren and asked, "Ready?"
Ren nodded and started to press the app on his cell phone until Ann's phone began to ring.
Ann pulled out her phone and said, "It's Shiho…She texted me about something important. I need to go be with her."
Ren nodded and said, "Ryuji and I will go ahead. Keep us posted."
Ann nodded at the two boys and ran off, and once she was in the clear, Ryuji asked, "You sure you want to leave without her?"
"I'm sure. We need to gather faces, and as much as I want Ann here with us, Shiho is also a concern," Ren said with a frown on his face.
Ryuji nodded and said, "Then press that app bro,"
Ren pressed the app, and the world began to change.
Ren: The next chapter will be dealing with the palace as well as Ann situation with Shiho and the details of the note she was given by Kamoshida so until the next chapter …
Morgana: Show's Over!
Ryuji: Let's fuck shit up!